Issue 3: The Rivalries

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Welcome to Issue 3 of the Box To Box magazine, dedicated to timeless rivalries across the footballing landscape. With writers who have previously contributed to The Guardian, The Blizzard, These Football Times, The Football Pink and In Bed With Maradona, we explore the Battle of the North between Tromsø and Bodø/Glimt, the Superclásico in Argentina and the Revierderby between Dortmund and Schalke, to name a few.

Football has changed a lot over the years. Boots have turned from black to an assortment of garish neon, stadiums from a collection of misshapen terraces to sparkling all-seaters and players come from all over the globe rather than working in the local factory. Yet while the sport has morphed into something wholly different, when derby day comes around the history comes flooding back. Grudges that have been passed down from generation to generation are re-ignited and fans nostalgically look back at their favourite moments from years gone by. In a strange way, it reconnects the club with its local area.

Sometimes these sorts of games are criticised for the vitriol surrounding them. However, the passion and intensity of derby matches mean they are capable of producing some of the game’s biggest moments. As a fan, goals in these matches become ingrained in your head as you replay them over and over again. For United fans', Cantona’s cup winning volley against Liverpool will live long in the memory, For Real Madrid, it is the moment Raul silenced the Nou Camp, and in my case, it is Ben Osborn’s last minute winner for Nottingham Forest at Pride Park. Rivalries have created some of football’s most iconic images; like Frank Rijkaard launching a glob of spit into Rudi Völler’s hair or Luis Figo standing over a corner kick adjacent to a pig’s head.

We pay homage to those moments, and some of football’s most renowned rivalries, in our latest magazine. However, as in previous editions of the magazine we prioritise the game’s more offbeat stories which may not be as renowned as the aforementioned match-ups but are equally as compelling. With tales coming from across the globe, including northern Norway, South America, and a divided Berlin.